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LeUcrs to the Editor Advanced Trauma Life Support System (ATLS) in a Peripheral Hospital
Dear Editor, t was Dr James Stynor, an American Orthopaedic Surgeon who introduced a structural trauma management training programme, following the death of his wife and serious injury to his 3 children in an air crash in 1970s. This approach is now regarded as gold standard in early trauma. initial assessment and resuscitation. The basic philosophy of the ATI..S is to treat lethal injury first. then reassess and treat again. Component steps of ATLS are:Primary Survey - identify what is killing the patient Resuscitation - treat what is kitting the patient Secondary survey • proceed to identify all other injuries
I
Definitive care
-
develop a definitive management plan
Elements of primary survey are: Airway with cervical spine control Breathing and ventilation Circulation with control of haemorrhage Dysfunction of the central nervous system Exposure in a controlled environment Secondary survey Head to toe examination of the undressed stable patient The ATLS approach focuses on the second or early death group where death is preventable [I} . At least one in five and possibly as many as one in three, trauma deaths in hospital are preventable [2J. We have adopted A11..S with modification as required for our hospital setting
LeUcrs to the Editor Advanced Trauma Life Support System (ATLS) in a Peripheral Hospital
Dear Editor, t was Dr James Stynor, an American Orthopaedic Surgeon who introduced a structural trauma management training programme, following the death of his wife and serious injury to his 3 children in an air crash in 1970s. This approach is now regarded as gold standard in early trauma. initial assessment and resuscitation. The basic philosophy of the ATI..S is to treat lethal injury first. then reassess and treat again. Component steps of ATLS are:Primary Survey - identify what is killing the patient Resuscitation - treat what is kitting the patient Secondary survey • proceed to identify all other injuries
I
Definitive care
-
develop a definitive management plan
Elements of primary survey are: Airway with cervical spine control Breathing and ventilation Circulation with control of haemorrhage Dysfunction of the central nervous system Exposure in a controlled environment Secondary survey Head to toe examination of the undressed stable patient The ATLS approach focuses on the second or early death group where death is preventable [I} . At least one in five and possibly as many as one in three, trauma deaths in hospital are preventable [2J. We have adopted A11..S with modification as required for our hospital setting
